Singer 111W Tight/Stuck Stitch Length Wheel

[cynthiab]

kgg, thank you for those videos.  I think I will go for replacing the shaft. It seems pretty straight forward. I hope I don't make a mess of it.

The stitch selector video was helpful too. Tomorrow I'll go have another look at it and see what I can do. I'll get back you you on the results.

 

 

[CowboyBob]

8 hours ago, cynthiab said:

kgg, thank you for those videos.  I think I will go for replacing the shaft. It seems pretty straight forward. I hope I don't make a mess of it.

The stitch selector video was helpful too. Tomorrow I'll go have another look at it and see what I can do. I'll get back you you on the results.

 

 

Maybe you have the little screws on what we call the gib too tight on the stitch length adjuster,I wouldn't change the shaft if I were you.If you oil & run the machine some it will probably loosen up.With the pressure foot down they will have a tight spot in them when they push the foot up,is it still have a tight spot when you lift the foot?

[cynthiab]

Cowboy Bob,

Thank you for the suggestions. When I have loosened it did help a little.

 I will loosen it some more. I let you know if I have success.  Fingers crossed, that it would be that easy.

[CowboyBob]

43 minutes ago, cynthiab said:

Cowboy Bob,

Thank you for the suggestions. When I have loosened it did help a little.

 I will loosen it some more. I let you know if I have success.  Fingers crossed, that it would be that easy.

Just tighten them all the way in & loosen 1/8 of a turn @ the most,too loose & they'll fall out & they won't hold the stitch length.

[DonInReno]

I really like that color - good job!

The lower shafts come out pretty easily, but old screws might be really tight and everything gets disassembled so take a lot of photos and even make small scribe marks to it can be reassembled in the correct order.   You might even discover a few set screws are of the wrong shape or have been out of the proper location this entire time.  In general, removing something for minor issues makes more problems than it solves.

An easy way to check for bent shafts is a cheap dial indicator and magnetic mount - even a $20 set from Harbor freight or Amazon will work fine for this kind of thing.  It just lets you know if there is a bent shaft and if so how bad it is.   You can also use it if a shaft needs to be straightened to judge if you’re bending it enough.

Edited June 25, 2023 by DonInReno

[dikman]

I haven't got anything to add regarding your stitch length problem (sorry) but I wanted to congratulate you on the paint job, it's quite stunning! It gives the gold lettering real depth.

[Ironmountain56]

Hello @cynthiab did you ever get this fixed? If not you can loosen the two screws on the ring to the right of the spring. They will not change the timing of anything, they’re there to hold tension on the ring on the left of the spring, it changes the stitch length and probably has something jamming it on the inside. So after loosening th two screw on the right, slide the ring and spring to the right and then slide the stitch adjuster to the right. From there clean out the groove and then you adjust the dovetail slide to slide easier. Hope this helps your project. Richard